Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, has achieved a major milestone in its partnership with Volkswagen and Pod Point, with the installation of EV charging points at its 600th store in Kirkwall, Scotland. The charging points have already provided 43,218kWh of energy since the network’s launch in 2019 – enough to power more than 4,000 homes for a whole day. All electricity used to charge EVs at Tesco stores is generated from renewable sources. The network includes 2,500 EV charging bays and 129 rapid chargers, making it the largest retail EV charging network in the UK.
The partnership was launched to improve the UK’s charging infrastructure ahead of the country’s transition to an electric future. As of February 2023, there were 693,307 battery-electric cars in the UK, an increase of 610% on the number of BEVs in 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Tesco’s CEO, Jason Tarry, said: “From Orkney all the way to Southampton, we’re helping customers to make sustainable choices by giving them somewhere easy and convenient to charge while they shop with us. Hitting our target of 600 stores with EV charging is a great milestone – and our work doesn’t stop there, as we’re now installing our first 75kW rapid chargers too.”
The 600th store milestone coincides with the next phase of the Tesco EV charging network, with Pod Point installing the retailer’s first set of 75kW charging units, on a trial basis, at five Tesco stores and one superstore. The range of charging speeds will cater to the different charging requirements of customers, from those looking for a simple top-up to drivers needing a fuller charge. The 75kW will be available at 69p kWh.
